Slag & Stryg 

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The quintet Slag & Stryg was made for the presentation of the honorary award, Gaffelprisen 2023, The quintet consisting of two drummers (Thomas Eiler and Christian Windfeld), double bass (Niels Præstholm), cello (Oda Dyrnes) and piano (Olga Witte). The quintet positions itself in a way almost symmetrical with the drummers on the sides, bass and cello next to them and piano in the middle. This position is connected to how much of the music is composed with different interlocking patterns in the coupled instruments.
Olga Witte has composed several pieces for the quintet - one long piece, that goes by the name of 'Dichotomies, lasting around 40 minutes and two shorter pieces 'An Ode to Those Betwixt and Between' and *To those Who Crumble'. All of the music is in different ways based on thoughts on dichotomies, such as egality-hierarchy, composition-improvisation, precise notation-graphic notation, circles-forms with angles, grand theories-small living creatues, bowed-hitten (the name Slag & Stryg means hit & bow) etc. 
The musicians are all exploring the boundaries of their instruments and of music, The motivation for Olga Witte recieving the forementioned honorary award, Gaffelprisen, was that "Olga's commitment, drive and curiosity have taken both her and jazz far and wide. She is one of today's musicians and arrangers who are bringing jazz forward." And this most certainly also account for this beautiful, mild, wild and experimenting quintet.

Download press material in Danish and English.

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2023